Friday, December 31, 2010

Are You Celebrating the End of 2010 or Just Glad That It's Over?There are many years when we feel blessed and look back with joy over the many happy events that transpired. And then there are times when we end the year feeling as though we were run over by a freight train and are just happy to see it end. In either case, whether we are joyous or trying to drown our sorrows, tradition has us breaking out the hooch.The beginning of a year should bring us new goals and hope for the future. We need to feel our best and start the year grounded and inspired. Unfortunately, many a new year’s celebration leaves us crawling out of the bed the next morning wondering how we are going to get through the day, no less the next year. I’m not saying to skip that New Year’s Eve party. I’d just like to share some tips on how to have a good time and not regret it in the morning.Feeling good about yourselfWhenever I drink a glass of club soda or some faux alcoholic concoction, I think of Robin Williams’ “Live at the Met” performance. In the skit, he is a recovering alcoholic (which, as it turns out, was not a stretch). He’s standing at a party with a glass of club soda, obviously upset as he watches others with real drinks. His hand is shaking so badly that the soda is pouring all over the place and he looks out and proclaims, “I feel so f&%$’ing good about myself”! Comedy skit aside, waking up without a hangover on New Year’s Day does make you feel good about yourself. The best I’ve ever felt about myself on New Year’s Day was when Doug and I ran a 5K fun run at midnight on New Years. But that’s not very practical, especially in the many parts of the country buried in snow right now.Preventing a Hangover
The most fail-safe way of preventing a hangover is to eat more and drink less. To do this, you need a plan BEFORE you start, otherwise you won’t make very good decisions once your start drinking. Here are a few tips:
• Don’t drink on an empty stomach. Munch on something high in fat, like nuts. Better yet, have a full meal.
• Pick one alcoholic beverage for the night. Don’t mix. Lighter alcohols, like vodka or white wine, are less damaging than dark liquors, like bourbon. Darker alcohols contain more congeners - the toxins that are formed during fermentation. Congeners are responsible for the hangover “headache”. Red wine has more congeners than white wine.
• A good B complex multi vitamin, containing vitamin B1, will help break down alcohol.
• Drinking one or two non-alcoholic drinks (see recipe for a Virgin Cosmo) or a tall glass of water for each alcoholic drink you consume will help keep you hydrated. Or stick with the Virgin Cosmos all night and skip the alcohol completely.
• I always take milk thistle before going to bed as it helps protects the liver against toxicity from alcohol. It works like a charm!

Cosmo vs. Virgin Cosmo

It’s hard to stand around at a party with a glass of water in your hand. But having a nice martini glass with a Virgin Cosmo makes it a lot easier. Besides the hangover factor, compare the calories in a regular vs. a Virgin Cosmo.

A single regular Cosmo has:

1 ½ oz Vodka

¾ oz Triple Sec

1 oz fresh lime juice

¾ oz cranberry juice

This 4 oz. serving has 192 calories and 14 grams of carbohydrates. The calories can add up pretty quickly.

Concentrated cranberry juice

Virgin Cosmo

[makes 2 drinks]

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons Pellegrino sparkling water

2 tablespoons cranberry juice concentrate

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tablespoons orange juice

4 teaspoons agave nectar

Shake with ice and serve in a martini glass or mix and serve with ice in a cocktail glass.

Each 4 oz serving is only 68.5 calories and 18 grams of carbohydrates.

For fewer calories, replace some or all of the agave nectar with a few drops of liquid stevia. For variation, try replacing the cranberry juice with pomegranate concentrate.

Happy New Year!

I'll be back tomorrow with my annual New Year's Black Eyed Pea recipe to bring us luck in 2011!

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

My Favorite Way to Cook Brussels SproutsBrussels sprouts are one of my favorite veggies. I love them raw or cooked (see Raw Vegan Brussels Sprouts Salad with Orange Chia Seed Vinaigrette).Today's recipe is a very simple and flavorful way to cook Brussels sprouts. Cooking them in a bit of broth with a touch of olive oil gives them an extremely creamy texture. Since the olive oil is in several cups of broth which is drained before serving, you get the flavor of the oil and you don't have the fat calories to worry about.

Penzeys vegetable soup base and seasoning

Soup Base Adds Extra FlavorI find that simmering the Brussels sprouts in vegetable stock or a soup base mixed with water adds some extra flavor. A vegetable soup base, like this one shown by Penzeys, is easy to mix up. Adding 3/4 teaspoon to 1 cup of water makes a cup of broth. You only need to make exactly as much broth as you need. This is far better than opening a can or box of veggie broth and wondering what to do with the rest when you only need a small amount.

Cut about a quarter inch off the bottom of each Brussels sprout, remove outer leaves and wash.In a large Dutch oven or extra wide sauce pan with a lid, heat olive oil and add garlic. Stir until fragrant, only for a minute. Add Brussels sprouts and stir until coated.Add broth, salt and a good amount of freshly ground black pepper. Stir, lower the heat and cover.Cook until fork tender. Drain and serve.

One half cup of cooked Brussels sprouts has only 28 calories, has zero fat and cholesterol, 6 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of protein, and 2 grams of dietary fiber. They are even a source of essential fatty acids providing 135 mg of omega 3 and 62 mg of omega 6 fatty acids per 1/2 cup.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

When I was a child, many 4 hour Italian Sunday dinners were ended with a simple combination of fruit and nuts. Occasionally there was also plate of pignoli cookies or some pastry, but the fruit and nuts always appeared. It's a wonderful tradition and I'm afraid it got lost over the years so today while in the market, I loaded up on beautiful Satsuma oranges, Medjool dates and an assortment of un-shelled nuts. I just wanted to take the opportunity to remind you that a very simple presentation of seasonal fruit and nuts can be a very satisfying way to end a meal.

Satsuma Oranges

Winter is the peak season for this lovely citrus fruit. Satsumas are sweet and have thick skin that practically falls off unlike some tangerines that are so difficult to peel. You can buy them with a few leaves still attached which adds to their artistic presentation.

Nuts in their Shell

There are several reasons that I like nuts in their shell. First, they are raw - not roasted, not blanched, not baked - just raw with their essential fatty acids intact. You can also keep nuts in their shells at room temperature for up to a year if stored in a cool, dry place. The sooner you eat them, however, the better since the oils in nuts can go rancid. Eating nuts with shells also protects you from eating too many. Nuts are very high in calories and even though they are very good for your heart, they aren't always good for your waistline. The process of cracking and shelling the nuts certainly slows you down giving your body time for it to remind itself that it is full! Today I bought a combination of Brazil nuts, Pecans, Walnuts and Hazelnuts.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

In the past I posted a vegetarian version of this cookie recipe that used organic butter and eggs. Since this site has gone vegan, I'm reposting the recipe using Earth Balance buttery spread, Ener-G egg replacer, vegan sugar and vegan chocolate chips. It comes out just as good and they are less than 80 calories per cookies. Another healthy cookie you can bake for Christmas!

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Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts and Cranberries

[makes 2 dozen "petite" cookies]

2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup Sucanat or organic cane sugar

1/4 cup Earth Balance vegan buttery spread, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer

2 tablespoons warm water

1 cup rolled oats

3/4 cups white whole wheat or oat flour

1 teaspoon aluminum free baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped

1/4 cup raw English walnuts, chopped

1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Thoroughly mix the egg replacer and water and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine applesauce, sugar, buttery spread, and vanilla and mix well with an electric beater or fork. Add the egg replacer mixture and beat until mixed in.

In another bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder and salt and mix well.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix thoroughly with the electric beater or fork.

Fold in the cranberries, walnuts and chocolate chips and drop 24 tablespoons of this mixture on to a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 to 13 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove from oven, let sit on the cookie sheet for 1 to 2 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool.

Thanksgiving is all about the big meal but Christmas is all about the cookies! One of my favorites are ginger cookies, especially when they have little chunks of crystallized ginger in them.

This recipe is quite a bit healthier than most because they are made with less sugar and fat.

Can a Cookie be Healthy?

All cookies should be eaten in moderation but this cookie actually has some health benefits.

This recipe uses a combination of whole grain flours: white whole wheat and oat flour. Ginger cookies are also made with black strap molasses which is a very good source of iron, calcium, (both of which are critical in the vegan diet), copper, manganese, potassium and magnesium. Ginger has many benefits such as reducing nausea and soothing upset stomachs and is also known to reduce inflammation. Ginger is also used for clearing up congestion due to colds.

Applesauce replaces some of the fat and stevia replaces half of the sugar typically used in ginger cookie recipes so the calorie count for each cookie is only 62 calories! So as far as cookies go, these are pretty guilt-free!

In a medium bowl, mix together wheat and oat flours, baking soda, stevia, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves and set aside.

In a large bowl, place applesauce, brown sugar, vanilla, Earth Balance, soy milk, egg replacer mixture and blackstrap molasses. Beat together well with an electric hand beater, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary. If you don't have a hand beater, beat with a whisk.

Add the dry ingredients and beat again until combined.

Add the crystallized ginger and beat again until the ginger pieces are mixed in uniformly (they tend to clump together).

Drop teaspoons of batter onto a greased cookie sheet. Once the batter is on the sheet, you can flatten it and form it with your fingers. I baked one dozen cookies per sheet (they spread out when baking) and made 3 batches. Once you've formed the batter into flat, round cookies, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of organic cane sugar over each dozen cookies.

Bake for 9 to 10 minutes.

Remove from oven, let sit for about a minute and carefully remove cookies with a thin spatula onto a cooling rack. Cool and eat or eat them warm. They will keep for days.

I made this dish last night for an early Christmas celebration with friends. After watching me stir this constantly for 40 minutes, my girlfriend said, "no wonder no one every makes this!"

So beware! Unlike most of my recipes that are simple and quick, this dish takes work but it's worth every minute and is one of my family's very favorite meals.

If you are making this for the holidays, make sure you've got help with the other dishes or someone there to help stir or remind you to add broth. My good friend and ex-next door neighbor LIsa and I always made this dish together. It made the stirring more fun - lots of time to chat and sip some wine!

Chanterelles

This golden, wild mushroom is a chef's dream. Their rich, meaty flavor makes them perfect for a vegan or vegetarian meal. They are very pricey (I paid around $20 a pound yesterday but a few weeks ago they were on sale for $15 a pound) but they are worth every penny and it only takes a half pound in this recipe to serve 5 to 6 people.

Timing is Everything

I'm kind of a nazi when it comes to serving risotto. It must be eaten the minute it is ready! So if you are serving a soup or salad with dinner, it must either be served with the risotto or after it. You can't make it and let the risotto sit on the stove. It should be served "tender to bite".

Can Risotto be Vegan?

Risotto is often made with lots of butter and sometimes cream. It also is usually finished with more butter and a good parmesan cheese. Chicken broth is often used for the stock. Vegetarians can just substitute veggie broth and they are good to go. To make it vegan, I cook it with extra virgin olive oil and Earth Balance vegan buttery spread.

Parmesan is difficult to replace but my daughter-in-law, Karina, uses a combination of vegetarian nutritional yeast, garlic powder, sea salt and dried parsley flakes. I tried this last night and it was wonderful.

If I haven't scared you off with the price of the chanterelles and the difficulty and critical timing of the dish, here's the recipe. Trust me, it's worth the time and trouble!

Follow Foods For Long Life on FACEBOOK !

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Roasted Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto

[makes 6 servings]

For the roasted chanterelles (make ahead)

1 tablespoon vegan buttery spread

8 ounces rinsed chanterelle mushrooms, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 peeled shallot, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the risotto

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

6 cups veggie broth

1 tablespoon vegan buttery spread

Vegan parmesan to taste (vegetarians: 1/4 cup parmesan cheese)

For the vegan parmesan

4 tablespoons vegetarian nutritional yeast

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes, crumbled

To prepare the roasted chanterelles, you'll need a large roasting pan, at least 9 by 13 inches.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cover the bottom of the roasting pan with 1 tablespoon of buttery spread.

Sandwiches can be a challenge for new vegans. Once you take common sandwich ingredients like tuna fish, turkey and cheese off the table, you may feel inclined to head for the fake, overly processed vegan meats and cheeses. I've never been a big fan of these and many of them don't taste very good. Some also are packed with way too much salt.

Nut butters with low sugar jam or hummus with roasted red peppers and other veggies are two good options for lunch. Here's another: egg salad without the eggs!

Takes Minutes to Make

Just crumble the tofu (I like to use a dough blender but you can use a fork or knife or just crumble it with your hands). Mix is a few ingredients like minced celery, dill and sweet pickle relish and stir in a low fat vegenaise mixed with turmeric. Season to taste and you're eggless egg salad is done!

Get creative and add chopped olives, chives or red onion or minced red bell pepper. The combinations are endless. Without the bread, each serving is just a bit over 100 calories!

I stopped off at Whole Foods the other day for a last minute pick up and this nice lady had a big table covered with samples from East & West Gourmet Afghan Food. I generally walk past these sample tables because they are usually covered with things I wouldn't eat. But I was particularly hungry, having skipped lunch for a dental appointment, and hoping for the best. What a bonanza!

First there was a nice selection of vegan bolani. I had never heard of bolani before. It's a stuffed Afghan flatbread (looks like a quesadilla) and these were stuffed with spinach, pumpkin, potato and lentil. One was more delicious than the other. They were also unbelievably low in calories and fat.

But you don't just eat the bolanis by themselves. You cover them with their amazing spreads. The vegan flavors included cilantro pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, lentil curry, eggplant pesto, hummus, sun-dried tomato hummus and basil pesto. The garlic mint spread contained yogurt. The hummus was my favorite but I didn't particularly care for the eggplant pesto.

But you don't just eat the bolanis covered with the amazing spreads! You top them off with their sweet jalapeno dipping sauce. Oh my, what a combination! But there are infinite combinations of their wonderful foods.

I think these will make gorgeous appetizers for my friends and family over the holidays. I also think they will become a popular lunch item in the future when I want to make something fast, simple and, of course, healthful.

Where to Buy

East and West participates in many farmers' markets around the bay area and are now found in Whole Foods and Andronico's. If they are not in your area, you can buy their food by contacting them on their website.I believe they are going to have a regular store front but it seems to be under construction right now.

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

OK, you figured it out. I'm not Jewish. You're probably saying, "doesn't this shiksa realize it's the OIL that's traditional Hanukkah food, NOT the potatoes?" I do know that (after all, I was born in Israel Zion hospital in Borough Park, Brooklyn!) but for those of you who just feasted over the Thanksgiving holiday and are now watching your waistline, I will give you the option of making these tasty, low calorie latkes with less oil and with a vegan sour cream that only weighs in at 8 calories per tablespoon! And yes, they are cooked in a small amount of oil to celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah - where one night's worth of oil lasted 8 nights!

This Recipe

I do a few things that aren't traditional. I've sliced and sautéed the onions instead of grating them with the potatoes and mixing them in raw. Grating makes the onions turn to water and gives the latkes a slightly bitter taste. I love the sweetness of onion once it's sautéed. I also use a mixture of Yukon gold and sweet potatoes instead of the traditional russet potato. I throw in some nutritional yeast with the flour for added nutritional benefits.

Compare to Full Fat Sour Cream

I love sour cream. I can eat it with a spoon. But full fat, dairy sour cream has 27.8 calories (vs. 8.3 calories in vegan sour cream), 2.8 g of fat (vs. 0.3 g), 1.6 g of saturated fat (vs. 0 g), and 7.5 g of cholesterol (vs. 0). I now have something that I can freely pour over my latkes or baked potatoes without the guilt!